Hmmm, we Memphians say, as we wipe our barbecue sauce- and/or wing sauce-covered fingers onto our shirts.
But the folks at Vitality Bowls are not deterred.
“Memphis, it’s an upbeat culture. There’s great diversity, great music, and the people are foodies. So, it’s got the right kind of energy we’re looking for in a market,” said Uriah Blum, vice president of operations at Vitality.
“We know that there’s a lot of people out there desiring and demanding healthy food – superfoods, smoothies, juices, and acai bowls,” he added. ” So, even places that are typically known for barbecue or meat or things of this nature, there’s a huge percentage of the population that is craving and wanting something like we can offer.”
Blum noted that Vitality generally likes to be in the more affluent/healthier side of town.
“We’re not meant for everyone,” he said. “We’re definitely more of a premium product. So, when we look at regions and areas within cities, we’re targeting higher household incomes, places where there’s good business, neighborhoods, gyms, fitness facilities.”
Vitality is currently looking for franchisees. A license for Vitality Bowls is $39,500 with $200,000 to $500,000 to get the location up and running.
Blum said that franchisees don’t necessarily have to have a background in restaurants.
“We look for people with passion and personality,” he said. “We’re big on community involvement. We want you to be out the door, have ties into community, and get out there. Obviously, [a franchisee should have] a passion for healthy eating, for nutrition, for fitness – just living a well-balanced lifestyle.”
Vitality Bowls is a California-based company founded by Roy and Tara Gilad in 2011 to address their daughter’s severe food allergies. There are now 145 cafes open or in development.
The stars of the show at Vitality are its acai bowls, which feature a base of ingredients – such as acai or other fruits, along with toppings like more fruits, honey, and gronola. They also offer smoothies, juices, paninis, soups, and salads.
Some of the words on the menu, like graviol, may be unfamiliar. That’s why employees are called “order educators.”
“We do have a lot of customer education,” Blum said. “What are these superfoods? Where do they come from? Why are they good for you? What is this acai bowl thing?”
Vitality bowls will soon expand their menu. They plan to add savory grain bowls, power toasts, and some wraps. They’d like to get their juices into the retail market.
The bigger plan is to have 200 locations open in the next three to five years.
“We’re looking to just continue down this path focusing on the right markets with the right people,” Blum said.
The Bellingham Herald recently announced that Vitality Bowls Bellingham, next to the Regal Barkley movie theater, is celebrating its two-year anniversary with discounts on its acai bowls and prize giveaways.
From Triad Business Journal | May 13, 2021: Two fast-casual restaurant chains emerging in the Triad will open locations in a building under construction along a high-traffic corridor.
Vitality Bowls and Chicken Salad Chick will open the 6,900-square-foot building on Gentry Circle at The Shops at Town Center in Clemmons, just north of Interstate 40 off Lewisville-Clemmons Road. The building is an outparcel to Clemmons Town Center, which is anchored by Planet Fitness and a soon-to-open Holiday Inn Express.
Town Center is developed by David Morgan of Winston-Salem and Steve Haskins of Charlotte. Fourth Elm Construction is the general contractor.
Chicken Salad Chick will be on one end of the three-unit building, scheduled for completion by fall. Vitality Bowls will be in a smaller middle location. A 2,800-square-foot end cap with potential for a drive-through lane remains. CBRE Triad represents the building owner.
Vitality Bowls, a “superfood cafe” specializing in acai bowls, smoothies, fresh juice, salads, and panini, plans to open in late summer, according to the owner Theresa Lopez, who also owns the other Triad Vitality Bowls at 3343 Battleground Ave. in Greensboro.
“Our first cafe in Greensboro has been a local fan-favorite since the beginning and we know residents in Clemmons will fall in love with our nutritious and unique offerings as well,” Lopez said in a news release.
Founded in 2011 in Northern California, Vitality Bowls’ menu includes organic items such as acerola, mangosteen, camu camu, spirulina, aronia, moringa, maca, and bee pollen.
Since franchising began in 2014, Vitality Bowls has grown to more than 145 cafes open and in developement.
Chicken Salad Chick opened its first Triad location in 2015 at Westover Gallery of SHops in Greensboro. A second location opened in August at Palladium shopping center in High Point.
Chicken Salad Chick specializes in a variety of chicken salads served in scoops and on sandwiches, as well as other soups, salads and fruit.
Since Publix opened at Peace Haven Village in 2017, the stretch of Lewisville-Clemmons just north of I-40 has become a hotbed of restaurant development, several hot local and national concepts such as the The Habit Burger, Cugino Forno, Abbott’s Frozen Custard, Ketchie Creek Bakery and Cafe, East Coast Wings + Grill, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Frist Watch, Panera Bread and Mediterraneo have opened in the past four years.
From QSR Magazine – Industry News | May 7, 2021: Fueled by the desire to spread knowledge of food allergies, Vitality Bowls is spearheading a campaign to shed light on food allergy awareness, advocacy and education.
Throughout the month of May, Vitality Bowls cafés across the country are encouraging guests to try the Bowl of the Month, the Super Berry Bowl, in support of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT). For each Super Berry Bowl sold, Vitality Bowls will donate 10 percent of the proceeds to FAACT, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing education about food allergies, anaphylaxis and enhancing the safety of children and adults worldwide affected by food allergies. This is the third year of the promotion.
“We are excited to be partnering with FAACT again since they work so hard to provide educational resources on food allergies and do wonderful advocacy work for allergy sufferers,” says Tara Gilad, co-founder of Vitality Bowls. “We were inspired to found Vitality Bowls to support our daughter who has food allergies, and it was our ultimate goal create an allergy-friendly space without cross-contact of common allergens.”
The Super Berry Bowl has particular meaning to Brian and Kathy Hom and his family, who own two Vitality Bowls cafes in California. After tragically losing their son to an allergic reaction, the Hom family dedicated their lives to spreading awareness about food allergies. The Super Berry Bowl was created in their son’s remembrance, honoring his love for berries. The bowl contains açaí blended with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and topped with organic granola, strawberries, blueberries, mulberries, goji berries and honey. The Super Berry Bowl is available at Vitality Bowls locations through May 31.
Drive-thrus and delivery thrived throughout the pandemic. Now, America is getting hungry for something healthy.
OUTSIDE INSIGHTS | APRIL 6, 2021 | JANIA BAILEY – In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. A year later, many of us are now grappling with the COVID 15, or the weight gained by Americans forced to live off of drive-thru and delivery as the pandemic shuttered dining rooms across the country. That’s why 2021 will be the year of the health food franchise.
Franchising holds up better than other business models during economic downturns, and the pandemic has been no exception. Of the 110,000 restaurants closed during the pandemic, franchises fared well, especially in the quick-service and pizza spaces. But as every functioning adult knows, eventually we must eat a green vegetable.
That’s why FranNet is predicting a surge in healthy food franchises and all that comes with them. When gyms reopen, expect them to look like the New Year’s resolution crowd on January 2nd again. When people make choices about what to eat, expect to see them turn to a salad.
The younger generation has placed a renewed focus on healthy, sustainable food. Also, the pandemic has forced us to consider our health and wellness like never before. Expect to see fast food restaurants and pizza concepts add on healthy options to hold onto their momentum, but those never quite work out as planned.
2021: The Year of the Underdog Franchise?
The problem with the salads on McDonald’s menu or veggie options on a Domino’s pizza is that nobody associates those brands with health foods. Instead, expect healthy food concepts like Freshii and Salata to take off. Over the pandemic, there was little restricting consumer’s access to McDonald’s or Dominos. When the pandemic ends, millions of people will figure it’s time to have a light salad with friends for lunch.
We all know there is a looming demand for healthy food and on-premise spaces to enjoy them. The question now is if businesses are best positioned to cash in on that coming wave.
To ride that coming wave, brands must embrace health-conscious terminology. Brands will affiliate themselves with a certain winning niche—maybe it’s gluten-free, low-carb or sustainable protein. Salad fast-casual concepts that can show you a Chipotle-style assembly line of workers putting together your salad from a sprawling mix of fresh vegetables will have all the credibility in this space. If a restaurant has healthy options that guests don’t know about, it’s time to modernize that messaging.
Additionally, in the franchise space, this moment marks an ideal time for smaller brands to take a front seat as big name franchises had their turn during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, quick-service brands that halfheartedly ventured into the health food or vegetable-heavy offerings may have shot themselves in the foot. All it takes is one slimy tomato on one Wendy’s burger for a consumer to decide that Wendy’s can’t do fresh produce. When the time comes for the consumer to pick a healthier option, they’ll surely look to brands that specialize in that space.
Brands like Nekter Juice Bar, Clean Eatz and Vitality Bowls, should be taking off with healthy vitality bowls and shakes.
In short, expect a generation of consumers molded by the pandemic to have high, demanding standards. The pandemic was great for convenience, and that’s here to stay. But now, customers will demand convenient, healthy food they can order and eat on or off premise, whenever and wherever they want.
Jania Bailey joined FranNet in August 2006 as President and COO while the company was transitioning to new ownership. In 2015, Jania assumed the role of CEO of FranNet. Under her leadership, she’s led the company through unprecedented growth and has established FranNet as the most respected voice in the franchise consultant industry in North America. Her background includes over 30 years of experience in the banking and franchise industries. Bailey served for 6 years on the Executive Board of Directors for the International Franchise Association (IFA) and is a certified franchise expert. She currently serves as Chairman of the IFA Membership Committee. Bailey also authored the book, “Thriving—The Journey to Success in the Business World” and co-authored the Amazon best-selling book, “More Than Just French Fries.”
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